


Here’s Looking At You, Quat

by lil_1337



Series: Morning After [5]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Awkwardness, First Date, M/M, Sexual innuendo and thoughts, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 09:12:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5491763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lil_1337/pseuds/lil_1337
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Morning After universe.  Takes place after The Night Before.  Despite having spent the weekend with Trowa, Quatre has a bad case of the first date jitters.  Lucky for him he’s not the only one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Here’s Looking At You, Quat

Quatre studied himself in the mirror and adjusted his collar for what felt like the millionth time. No matter what he did it didn’t look quite right. Abandoning his shirt he ran a comb through his hair, pleased at the way the newly cut strands fell to right above his eyes, easing the babyish roundness of his face. Moments like this he really envied the guys who had strong masculine features. Right now he’d give his right nut for a handsomely chiseled jawline. Well, maybe not that, he was rather fond of it, but certainly something expensive and rare. Heaving a sigh he turned from the mirror, choosing instead to focus on the reason for the infestation of butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.

Trowa. Just his name made Quatre smile though it quickly turned rueful at his sappy response. The opening lyrics of the song ‘Maria’ from West Side Story popped into his head and his smile became a grin. Humming the tune to himself, mentally changing Maria to Trowa and girl to boy, he gathered up his wallet and phone from the counter, his mood already much lighter.

He and Trowa had only exchanged half a dozen texts since their long weekend sextravaganza, the last two confirming their date for later that night, but time and distance was not giving Quatre any prospective at all. Despite promising himself he wasn’t going to jump in with both feet again he was falling fast and hard. Not that fast and hard was always bad. His thoughts got sidetracked for a moment until he forced them back out of Trowa’s jeans. Hopefully, this time he had his eyes open on the relationship front. At least that was the plan and Quatre was good with plans; both making them and seeing them through. As long as he had a plan he could conquer the world in five easy steps. Though they might require a few sub steps as well. Either way it was completely doable. Just like Trowa.

Shutting off the light in the bathroom as he crossed the threshold Quatre took a deep breath and smoothed down the front of his shirt. After much internal struggle he had decided on his favorite button down and casual dress slacks. The fact that it was the outfit he had discarded before attending the party he’d met Trowa at did not escape him. On the other hand Trowa had admired the shirt and said he’d wanted to see Quatre in it. Briefly he considered changing, but did not give into the urge. This was who he was and if Trowa had an issue with it then it was better for both of them to find out now.

A knock pulled Quatre out of his head and he hurried across the living room. Trowa was on time. That was points in his favor. So far on the relationship tally sheet he was well into the black. That made the business man and the romantic in Quatre both equally pleased. He pulled the door open, smiling happily at the sight of Trowa shifting nervously on the doorstep. He was dressed in a dark green turtleneck that brought out his eyes and jeans so tight Quatre was pretty sure he could have bounced a quarter off Trowa’s ass. Not that money was what he wanted to be flinging at it. Watching Trowa tug at the hem of his shirt made Quatre feel better. It was good to know he wasn’t the only one with a case of first date jitters. “Do you want to come in?” He offered, opening the door wider to give Trowa room to enter.

Shaking his head Trowa swallowed visibly before speaking, his voice rougher than Quatre remembered. “I was right, that shirt does bring out your eyes.”

Quatre’s smile brightened and he could feel the weight of tension falling from his shoulders. They had passed the first big hurdle and were heading into the turn. There was a joke in there about handing off batons, but he was not anywhere near witty enough at the moment to think of one. “Not too dressy then?”

Once again Trowa shook his head. “You clean up nicely. I was right about that too. It’s a good look on you. Casual is too, but this fits you.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come in? We have some time.” Quatre’s smile widened and he gestured to the room behind him. So far Trowa has hit 10 out of 10 on the ‘you’re getting laid tonight’ scale.

Trowa stepped forward, crowding into Quatre’s personal space before wrapping his arms around Quatre and pulling him close. After a searing kiss that left them both breathless Trowa groaned and stepped back. “I really want to, but if I do I won’t be able to keep my hands to myself.” When Quatre’s grin morphed into a smirk he groaned again, his fingers tightening from repressed desire. Backing up another step he let his hands fall to his sides. “Damn it. I…” He stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing, words tumbling over each other as if he had no control once he had started speaking. “I’ve been looking forward to this all week, showing you the pizza place and watching Casablanca. Then you look like that and all I can think about is backing you up against a wall and fucking you. I don’t want you to think that I like you just for sex. I like the sex. I really really like the sex. It’s amazing, but so are you outside of bed. Or the shower. Or the couch...” His voice trailed off as his eyes continued to devour Quatre in a way that was as far from subtle as the arctic is from the tropics.

Quatre blinked, stunned at the confession, then slowly he smiled, huge and genuine, as the full meaning of the words sunk in. “I like you too.” Quatre moved forward, resting a hand lightly on Trowa’s arm, his gesture giving weight to his words. Stepping back inside he grabbed his coat. Once the door was locked he pulled on the soft leather jacket and zipped it up. Turning to Trowa, his expression the picture of innocence, Quatre moved close then went up on his tiptoes to whisper. “I’m going to hold you to that backing up against a wall after the movie.”

Moving pas Quatre smacked Trowa lightly on the ass then kept going down the hall, grinning wickedly when Trowa made a sound that part whimper and part moan before hurrying quickly to catch up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Trowa relaxed into the turn, his body following Quatre’s lead as if they had been riding together for years. Fortunately, he had managed to get himself somewhat under control before climbing on behind Quatre or things could have gotten very awkward very quickly. As erotic as the ride should have been he was surprised to find that it was more comfortable and relaxing. There was something exhilarating about completely giving himself over to Quatre’s care and trusting him to do what he needed to. Apparently he liked the idea of giving up control once in awhile. That might be something to explore at a later date.

The bike shifted and Trowa tightened his grip slightly, not because he needed to, but simply for the pleasure of feeling Quatre lean into it. They slowed to a stop at the main stoplight just past the entrance to the campus and Trowa tapped Quatre on the shoulder then pointed to a small, brightly lit, building on the southwest corner of the intersection. Nodding his understanding, Quatre accelerated when the light changed then exited smoothly into the parking lot. He pulled into the only open spot and turned off the bike. Trowa climbed off and removed his helmet while Quatre set the kick stand then did the same.

Inside the restaurant was warm and crowded though not to the point of discomfort or limiting their ability to hear. Most of the tables were taken up by groups of college students though there were a few families and older couples scattered here and there throughout. Feeling mild trepidation and more than a little pride Trowa led Quatre through the maze of tables, heading for the back of the room. At the second to the last booth he stopped, gesturing for Quatre to slide in then following him. It was the table he usually shared with Duo and it felt strange, in a good way, to be there with Quatre. A tenuous connection between two important parts of his life.

He watched as Quatre looked around, taking in all the sights and sounds hoping that it was not too cheap or low class. Quatre was gorgeous and amazing, but if he thought he was too good for cheap pizza and the Little Theater Trowa was going to have to ditch him. That would suck major balls in every way but the good one.

It was less than five minutes before a young woman with short dark hair bustled over to take their order. Seeing Trowa she grinned then frowned when she saw Quatre sitting next to him. “Hey, Trowa. Did you finally ditch Duo for better company?”

Trowa shook his head and grinned back at her. “Hey, Hilde. This is Quatre. Quatre, this is Hilde. She’s not as scary as she looks.”

“Don’t be telling my secrets.” Hilde mocked glared at Trowa before turning her attention back to Quatre.

“Nice to meet you.” Quatre rose a little and leaned forward to shake her hand using the movement as an excuse to shift closer to Trowa.

“Wow, manners. You did trade up.” Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them, eyes narrowing as she did. She turned her full focus on Trowa, pinning him with a look. “Are you on a date?” Surprise and incredulousness colored the final word to the point of making it almost visible.

Trowa nodded, taking Quatre’s hand and holding it.

“Holy shit.” Hilde stared, her jaw visibly dropping in a way that was almost cartoonish. “I’m pretty sure that is one of the signs of the apocalypse. I’m not sure if I should buy a lottery ticket or start stockpiling bottled water and canned goods. Either way if horsemen show up I’m out of here!”

Quatre twisted in his seat, grinning at the embarrassed look on Trowa’s face. Tearing his attention from Hilde, Trowa smiled, though it had an edge of embarrassment to it. “I date.” He paused for the space of a second then changed tactics. “I could date. If I wanted to.” He winced at the slightly defensive tint to his voice and did a mental facepalm. Way to make yourself sound like a loser, Barton.

“Well, yeah, you’re a good looking guy, but you don’t. Not at _all_!” Hilde shook her head in disgust. “Not even _once_ in the three years I’ve known you.” She laughed and shook her head again as if she just couldn’t believe what the world was coming to. “Okay, so date night means no garlic or onions. I’d go with the Mediterranean. It’s pretty safe. Olives, spinach, and artichoke hearts. That work for you Quatre?”

Smiling brightly, Quatre nodded. “Yes, it sounds delicious.”

“Large Mediterranean and two cokes coming up.” Hilde scribbled something on the pad she was carrying.

“Dr.Pepper, if you have it.” Quatre’s tone was polite, but not apologetic.

“Got it.” Hilde flashed one last grin and was gone.

“Is she always like that?” Quatre asked, his face had the expression of someone who had just been run over by a very nice mack truck.

“She was excited.” Trowa returned the smile and leaned in for a quick kiss. “She and Duo have known each other since they were in kindergarten. She kind of adopted me when Duo and I started rooming together. I think she was hoping we would hook up for a while, but never pushed when it didn’t happen.”

“Did you ever consider it?” Quatre tried to act cool as if it was a casual question, but Trowa could see the emotion underneath it. A tiny bit of him couldn’t help feeling smug that someone like Quatre would think that Trowa had people lining up to date him, but most of him just wanted to see Quatre feeling confident and happy. That was so much better.

“No.” The tone made it clear there was no room for hedging. “I love Duo like a brother, but he doesn’t crank my engine and I don’t do anything for him either.”

“Crank your engine?” Quatre smirked, his expression going carnal in a way that went straight to Trowa’s groin. His libido had definitely moved in and was hanging curtains in anticipation of signing a long term lease.

Trowa grinned and opened his mouth to say something, but it was cut off when Hilde appeared out of nowhere, tray in hand.

“Here’s your drinks.” She set the red plastic glasses down on the table and scooted the one with the end of the wrapper still on the straw towards Quatre. “The pizza should be done in a few minutes.” A long narrow plastic dish lined with red and white checkerboard paper joined the cups. “Cheese breadsticks, on the house, since this is a celebration or a portent of doom. Either way eat up and enjoy.”

“Thank you.” Trowa called at her retreating back even though he was sure that she couldn’t hear him. He pushed the basket towards Quatre, offering him the first choice and was rewarded with a million watt smile that made him grin in return and shift in his seat as his body reacted. Which of course it did. If Trowa could find a way to bottle that look he could put the manufacturers of Viagra and Cialis in the poor house.

Quatre selected the smallest one and look a cautious bite followed by a much larger one. “These are good!” He wiped his hands on a napkin he pulled from the dispenser on the table before selecting a second that was larger.

Trowa nodded, more of his attention focused on Quatre than the food in front of him. “They are. Everything here is good.”

Quatre pushed the basket back in Trowa’s direction and waited until he had selected one before taking another bite. “What’s your favorite?”

Chewing his breadstick slowly as he considered, Trowa pondered the question. “The four cheese with garlic. Thin crust. Deep dish needs a lot of toppings or it tastes too much like dough.”

“That sounds really good.” Quatre finished his second breadstick and wiped his hands, setting his napkin to the side when he was done.

“You’ll have to try it some time when Hilde’s decided it is safe for you to smell my horrible garlic breath.” Not that Trowa was worried, he’d kissed Quatre after sucking his dick and there’d been no complaints about his breath, but he wasn’t about to tell Hilde that. There were some things she just did not need to know.

“It can’t be that bad.” Quatre chuckled. “Besides, I won’t notice if I’ve been eating it too. We can be socially offensive together.”

That was a plan that Trowa could get behind in a big way. He nodded his approval, swallowed then, so Quatre would know he had been paying attention he added, “I liked the chicken alfredo we had last weekend. It was different, but good.” Trowa nudged the basket which now contained a single breadstick back towards Quatre. “You can have it if you want.”

“Thank you.” Quatre picked it up and careful tore it into two equal pieces, offering one to Trowa. “I’d rather share.”

“Okay.” Trowa smiled and took the section of breadstick offered to him then leaned in for a kiss. That kind of generosity of spirit deserved to be rewarded, at least as much as he could in public.

“Awww, you guys are adorable.” Hilde slid the pizza onto the table and placed a generic white plate in front of Quatre and then Trowa. “Enjoy!”

Once again Trowa yelled thank you after her even though she was already out of earshot. He shrugged then carefully set a slice of pizza on Quatre’s plate before serving himself one. It was Friday and the place was busy. It wasn’t unusual for Hilde to spend her shift bouncing around like the ball in a pinball machine. He made a mental note leave her a good tip and to thank her next time he was there on a slower night.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Quatre shifted, squirming a little to find the most comfortable spot. The theater seats were worn from years of use, but had stood up surprisingly well under the constant use and abuse meted out by generations of university students. It was a school institution and a landmark that most everyone knew no matter what their major was. He found himself regretting the fact that he hadn’t attended a show sooner. He’d meant to, but it had just never happened. His freshman year he’d been too busy with school and adjusting to living away from home. Then there was Darren who had insisted that the Little Theater was a haven for nerds, geeks, and people who didn’t have the money or style to attend events at the new theater downtown.

On the other hand not having memories of Darren to overshadow tonight was a good thing. Sharing it with Trowa was an even better. So far, he had enjoyed the evening and Trowa, despite his initial reaction, had been attentive without being focused just on getting into Quatre’s pants. Not that Quatre was opposed to some necking once the lights went down. In fact, he was looking forward to it. That and what Trowa had promised for after the movie.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Quatre startled, as Trowa’s whispered words pulled him back to the moment.

“Sorry.” Quatre grinned, I was just thinking about something. He grimaced at the raised eyebrow then sighed. Obviously there was no way he was going to get away with brushing things off. “Someone actually. My ex.”

Trowa frowned as he studied the expression on Quatre’s face. “He was an asshole.”

Quatre blinked, thrown off by how sure Trowa seemed to be about his statement. He hadn’t seemed judgemental before, but maybe he’d been keeping it under wraps. “How can you be so sure? Maybe I’m the asshole and he broke up with me because of it.”

Trowa smiled, his expression softening. “You looked closed and guarded, like you were protecting yourself. Anyone who makes you look like that has to be an asshole.”

“I…” Quatre fumbled for something to say. Stunned by not only how well Trowa had read him, but his understanding of what he saw. Quatre took a deep breath and let it out slowly, taking the tension he’d been feeling with it. “You’re right. He was a class A asshole.”

“I’m glad you ditched him.” Trowa took Quatre’s hand in his entangling their fingers. “He didn’t deserve you.”

Quatre’s smile brightened and the warm feeling that had been curling in his stomach bloomed. While it was true that he had broken up with Darren, Trowa had no way of knowing that. His faith made Quatre feel humble and inspired at the same time. He would make sure to show his apppreciation; later when they were back at Quatre’s place and there was a lot less clothing between them.

The lights flickered then dimmed in anticipation of the movie starting and the quiet buzz of conversation around them stilled. Quatre snuggled closer, pleased when Trowa shifted so that his arm was across the back of Quatre’s seat. Casablanca was one of Quatre’s favorite old movies and sharing it with someone who enjoyed it too made it that much better.

Yep, things were going well and he had a feeling that the after show was going to be just as good.


End file.
